


no matter where you go (there you are)

by unhappyrefrain



Category: Pocket Monsters | Pokemon (Main Video Game Series), Pocket Monsters: Black & White | Pokemon Black and White Versions
Genre: Domestic, Eventual Relationships, Friendship, Friendship/Love, Gen, Happy Ending, Healing, Living Together, M/M, Mental Health Issues, Multi, Polyamory, Polyamory Negotiations, Returning Home, Sibling-like Friendship, Three Years Later, Trans Male Character, Unrequited Crush, also reshiram is a smart aleck, and tiny trans boy kyouhei!!!!, big bro touya, chosen family, in the way that only a legendary all-powerful dragon of truth can be a smart aleck, someone come pick up your kyouheis, whose kyouheis is this
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2015-07-18
Updated: 2015-08-29
Packaged: 2018-04-09 22:31:40
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 4,200
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/4366688
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/unhappyrefrain/pseuds/unhappyrefrain
Summary: <blockquote class="userstuff">
              <p>It's been three years. Touya returns to Unova, and takes a liking to Kyouhei, a little Trainer who has come home to rest after becoming the (one-time) League Champion. Kyouhei views him as an older brother, and their sibling-like friendship causes Touya to linger in Aspertia and begin living with him and his quick-tempered best friend Hugh, while he waits for N to find him.</p><p>And then N finally, finally comes home, and absolutely everything goes to shit.</p><p>(also known as: whose kyouheis is this???? someone come pick up your kyouheis)</p>
            </blockquote>





	1. Chapter 1

Summer hits Johto like a gust of wind— slight, gentle, leaving something different in its wake. The smell of ginkgo trees, of farming pastures, of spicy Apricorns; all of it is covered in a hazelike ocean spray. It’s the beginning of July now.

He is seventeen now, seventeen and aching. His hands are fisted in Reshiram’s feathers; one shoe has fallen off his foot from where it dangled from the dragon’s back. He barely wears his cap anymore, keeps it tucked in his bag, so that while flying he can feel the generous whipping of wind in his hair. But he doesn’t lose it. He waits for the day he can put it back on, for someone precious to see it and recognize him again. It will be soon.

Seventeen.

Touya has traveled for three years. 

And it’s only when he is taking off from the Olivine port, a couple hundred feet above the ocean, that he thinks of the question that could potentially bring N back to him.

"Reshiram?"

_Yes, child?_

"Can't you communicate with Zekrom from far away? You know, since you're like, soul bonded or something."

Reshiram pauses, her tail engine stilling slightly, and then cranes her head around to look at Touya with ocean-deep eyes.

_Perhaps_.

"What kind of answer is that," Touya sighs defeatedly. "Can you, or not?"

_I can_ , Reshiram says, and he can almost hear the laugh in the dragon's voice as she continues.  _But I will not tell you._

Touya bounces angrily on its back, pouting openly. "Why not? You're being so vague."

_I know that you wish to find N, do you not? This is what your question is about._ Reshiram cocks her head, teasingly. _My child. My hero. You may not know it. But he is looking for you. Two that search mutually for each other often stray further from the path that may bring them together._

"So then what do I do? Do I just... wait?" 

_That is exactly what you do._

Reshiram's voice is wise, soft as afternoon light in Touya's head. _Wait somewhere that he knows he may come back to._

"At least I got something out of you this time," Touya grins, ruffles the feathers around Reshiram's neck. "Well, what do you say we go back to Unova?"

_Ah. That is a good idea. I know that Zekrom is heading back as well. Maybe you shall meet._

"We better," Touya says, "or I will personally push you into a lake."

_You cannot push me into a lake, child. You cannot even move me._

"Oh yeah? Wanna bet on that?"

_I seem to recall you losing last time you made a bet with me._

"You," Touya says, "need to learn to stop being so clever."

_I cannot help it. I am obligated to accompany you, after all._

"What is that supposed to mean?! Reshiraaam," Touya laughs, throwing his head back a bit, his hat clutched in the other hand. His hair is feathery, light in the rushing wind, and he knows what to do now. He will find N. Or-- no, he will meet him halfway. And he won't hesitate to tell him everything.

"Can you... check something for me?"

_What is it?_

"Can you ask Zekrom to ask N if he still... if he still loves me? From back then..."

Reshiram hums, a noise Touya has learned to decipher as anything from _how amusing_ to _I will consider it_ to _I will do it right now._

_I see no need to ask, my hero,_ Reshiram says _. I can feel it. Why else would he be searching for you?_

Touya's heart thrills, quiet but pushing his breath to the back of his lungs.

_But yes. Zekrom tells me the same._

"Okay," Touya sighs, relief and embarrassment in his breath. "I just... you never know. Maybe he's looking for me so he can kick me in the face, or something."

_Humans are so irrational,_ Reshiram half-laughs. _You will go from hoping he still loves you to wondering if he will hurt you in the span of two seconds._

"It's funny you say that. You know N's brain situation."

A long breath fills the dragon's body. Touya's hand trembles on Reshiram's neck.

_I apologize_ , Reshiram says.

"Not your fault. All humans think like that sometimes. Some just have it worse than others. Now," Touya says, the defensiveness shrugged off as fast as it came, "Unova, or what?"

 

* * *

 

 

When Kyouhei sees the white dragon spread its wings and land easy on the dirt outside his back porch, he falls over himself trying to get a closer look.

"Hugh-- Hugh! You have to see this! Dude! Pause the Mario Kart look at this I promise it's worth it!"

"What? God dammit I was on my last la--" Hugh turns around and goes completely silent. Kyouhei waits for his best friend to pick his jaw up off the floor. "Holy crap."

"You know? You know who I think it is? The last Champion! The one that disappeared! And people thought he was dead-- this is unreal!" Kyouhei can barely breathe through his shrieks. Hugh puts his hands over Kyouhei's shoulders, and they start jumping up and down, rocking the wooden floor beneath their heels. 

"What do you say? Do we go meet him?" Kyouhei shrills. Hugh is already out the door.

Kyouhei hurriedly picks himself up, clutching at his bag, keeping it close above his chest as he skitters across the wooden floor and into Hugh’s wake.

 

* * *

 

 

“So,” is the first word the older Trainer says, looking at the two boys from his perch atop the legendary beast. “I bet you thought I was dead.”

Kyouhei’s throat dries up. He can barely speak, and nudges Hugh forward with his foot, urging him to introduce them.

“What? You can’t just expect me to…” Hugh sighs, and then turns back to the older boy, looking up at him with a sort of wild-eyed reverence. “Are you really— _really_ Touya?”

The name comes out hesitant, as if Hugh is unsure of the boy’s identity. But that couldn’t be the case. Three years ago— Kyouhei remembers it like yesterday, like summer sun cast in square patterns through a screen door— Touya had defeated Team Plasma, whisked through the Pokemon League like it was absolutely nothing, and disappeared. It had been as if he was never there. He never officially took the title, never said anything to anyone. The news stations were all over it. Some had theorized that he was murdered by a Plasma straggler, died of exposure on his journey back, fell off a cliff in Victory Road; others wondered about the green-haired puppet King of Team Plasma that Touya was supposedly fond of, and pointed out that their disappearances were around the same time. No one knew the truth, but that was three years ago. The case, if it could have ever been _called_ a case, had been laid to rest, and Touya was assumed dead until proven otherwise.

But now, watching him from below, Kyouhei can see it. And Hugh’s question doesn’t go unanswered for long.

“Yeah, that’s me.” Touya fluffs up his hair, sweeps the overgrown bangs from his eyes. “But shh. It’s not like I want a big deal made out of it. I just came back to Unova... to wait for someone.” He swings his leg over Reshiram’s back, drops down from atop it, shaking out his callused hands. “And you are?”

“I’m Hugh! And-- and this is Kyouhei!” Hugh blurts, and Kyouhei can sense how his heels are off the ground, trying to look as tall as he can. Touya is much taller than both of them, reaching a good 5’9. In the pictures Kyouhei remembers him as being much shorter;  _but then again_ , he thinks, _three years can do that to you._

“Kyouhei, huh?” Touya approaches him. Kyouhei hugs his bag to his chest, nervously. “You’re the new champ, aren’t you?”

“Yeah... I only went through once, though. I got tired and came home after a while,” Kyouhei admits, sighing. “I’m not really cut out for huge adventures.”

“For someone ‘not cut out for huge adventures,’ you sure went a long way.”

Kyouhei’s heart lights up at Touya’s words. “You think so?”

“I mean, you beat the League, right?” Touya’s smile is bright, relieving. Hugh is impatiently twiddling his thumbs, waiting to cut in on the conversation. “That’s pretty much the highest you can go.”

“Well, where did _you_  go?” Hugh questions. Kyouhei punches him in the arm.

“Hey, I was about to ask that!”

“I went looking for something. And I... I went all over the place. I went to Sinnoh, spent the winter down in Hoenn, lived in Johto for a while, stayed in Kanto for as short a period of time as possible--“ --here, he barks out a laugh-- “--oh, and Kalos, too, I got an apartment in Lumiose and... Wait a second,” Touya grumbles, as his stomach makes a very loud and very angry sort of noise. “Listen. I’ll tell you the rest of my stories if you let me stay for dinner.”

Kyouhei doesn’t even think to ask permission-- just nods frantically, the sun bright in his eyes, and rushes Touya and Hugh into his house.

 

* * *

 

 

The moment Kyouhei’s mother sees Touya, taller and lither and weather-worn, walk through the door, she drops the plate she had been washing. It comes down with a crash on the kitchen tile, and she barely seems to notice, but Hugh twitches at the noise and Kyouhei is at her side immediately.

“Mom!” Kyouhei scurries over to her, bending down to help pick up the shattered porcelain. “Mom it’s okay! It’s okay can you just-- can you just make dinner for one extra? Maybe?”

Then she turns around, looks at Kyouhei with eyes that feel alive. “Oh yes,” she says, grabbing a tissue from the counter and dabbing her eyes with it. “Where did you _find_  him?”

“I didn’t find him, he just landed here!”

“Hello,” Touya says, waving his hand, an unaware sort of friendliness in his voice. _Like he doesn’t understand the gravity of his appearance here,_  Kyouhei thinks. 

“You mean to tell me that he just dropped out of nowhere--“

“On his _dragon!_ ” Hugh pipes up.

"Blue eyes white dragon," Kyouhei jokes, prodding Hugh in the side with his elbow. Hugh grins.

“Her name is Reshiram,” Touya sighs, wringing his hands. “I’m sorry about all this. I haven’t eaten in a day and a half, so is it okay if I stay a bit?”

Kyouhei’s mother is silent, for what seems like only a second before she says, “You are going to take a shower first _right now_ or you will not be allowed on this carpet.”

So Touya does.

 


	2. Chapter 2

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> Touya gets an invitation to dinner at Chez Kyouhei; Kyouhei gets to meet a dragon.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> oh i never really did explain that this is a bit of an AU; N doesn't give the dark stone to kyouhei before the events of this fic. that comes later though

In the shower, Touya watches clumps of dirt as big as his fingernails fall from his scalp, and sighs so loudly it might have been audible from outside the bathroom.

During his last week of traveling, Touya had been so fixed, almost manic, that he had forgotten to stop at a Center for a bed and bath, and simply slept curled up in Reshiram's feathers. She (Touya realized that Reshiram preferred feminine terms after she knocked over a tree in the presence of a Kalosian rich boy for calling her an _it_ , and then correcting himself by calling her a _him_ ) didn't seem to mind much, just preened her wings a little more after they both woke up to get the dirt out. During the rest of the flight across the ocean, though, she _had_ threatened to dive into the ocean to get Touya cleaned off, so on reflection maybe she minded a _little_ more than Touya thought.

" _Augh_ ," Touya groans, rolling his shoulder painfully from where his bag has been slung for years. He never felt the need to switch shoulders, but it's just hitting him now that it was probably a shitty idea. Brushing his hair out of his face, he deposits a large amount of girly shampoo on his palm and takes a deep breath.

God he _loves_ Herbal Essences. Touko made fun of him for it all the time, but he doesn't care. _What does shampoo have to do with gender_ , he wonders briefly, keeping his head back so the lather doesn't get in his eyes.

He thinks about N, and how his hair always somehow smelled like mint, and feels his chest constrict so hard that it makes him start, drop the bottle of shampoo, and immediately begin to let the water run over his hair and into his eyes.

Kyouhei hears the resulting racket and decides not to say anything.

 

* * *

 

 

Only when Touya wanders out of the bathroom, pulling on a clean V-neck and a (relatively) loose pair of jeans, does Kyouhei ask if he's okay.

"'M fine," Touya shrugs, and then sneezes, feeling the burn of soap in his throat. "Just a little accident. Showers are hard."

"Uh huh," Kyouhei muses, looking up at Touya's stinging red eyes and mussed hair.

"What, don't tell me you've never slipped in the shower before?"

"I'm not _old_ ," Kyouhei protests, then sticks his tongue out playfully. As he turns to run, Touya notices his Adam's apple isn't visible at all. As if he doesn't even have one.

Something clicks. Before he can fully process it, though, Kyouhei calls him down for dinner.

"Food time! Hugh's here too!"

"Food time, huh," Touya chuckles to himself.

He thinks he could get used to this.

 

* * *

 

 

When Touya sits down at the dinner table, between Kyouhei and Hugh no less, everyone gives him a very expectant look. Thankfully, Hugh interrupts the silence by turning to Kyouhei and asking, "Wait, where's Mei?"

"Rehearsal," Kyouhei shrugs, sticking out his tongue. Touya notes that he does this a lot. "I gotta give her a call after dinner so she can come meet Touya. I bet she'll just want him to get her autograph though."

"Mei?" Touya questions.

"Oh, my sister. She's a movie star up in Virbank." Kyouhei says it plainly, and Hugh stifles a giggle. "She's not as self-centered as she sounds."

"Yes she is," Hugh argues.

"You're just saying that because you _like_ her."

"I do _not!_ "

"Boys," Kyouhei's mother scolds, the smile in her voice apparent, like she knows something they don't. Hugh huffs angrily and shoves a spoonful of mashed potatoes into his mouth.

"Don't like her like that. We're _bros_ ," Hugh insists, with his mouth full.

"She's a girl, she can't be a bro!"

"She _is_ though! Pretty sure she doesn't like guys anyway," Hugh shrugs, and Kyouhei barks out a laugh.

"She doesn't but that's not stopping _guys_ from liking _her_ ," he laughs-- no, more like giggles-- and Touya remembers Touko's little grin, the way she relentlessly drew in guys at school before giving them the cold shoulder.

"My sister was kinda like that," he says, tossing a strand of hair from his eyes and laughing. "She liked girls, but guys too; she just didn't like the guys in our grade, was all."

"I don't think Mei likes guys at all," Kyouhei says, between a crunch of raw broccoli. "Mom does she like guys?"

"Not that she's told me."

"Is it just me or is no one I know from Unova straight?" Touya questions. "Is this a Unova thing? In Kanto it was different..."

"It might be different in Kanto," Kyouhei's mom says. "They're more traditional over there. Not sure about Johto, though, even though it's around the same area."

"Actually, Johto is cool," Touya sighs fondly. "Like it seems traditional and all, but everyone there is just so welcoming. Almost weird how nice they were."

"Unova's rough, but it's more diverse," Hugh points out. "Not everyone is super nice but no one judges since we all have our own backgrounds and stuff."

"It's weird," Touya muses, and then takes a long gulp of water. "The further I went from Unova, the more I realized how tough people are here. And how drastically different the way of life is in other regions."

"Well, won't you tell us?"

Touya thinks about it. He thinks about Kanto, children growing up too fast, overly polite speech and towering cities and Pokemon created from sludge; about Johto, the friendly lilt in people's accents, the clear sound of a glass bell, the ocean breeze of New Bark Town, the glittering rainbow feather that fell into his hand. He remembers Hoenn, living comfortably in a secret base at the top of a tree, the incessant cry of Nincada, looking up through the crater of Sootopolis into an infinite, domed sky. The girl sitting at the edge of the Sky Pillar, watching the stars move, a wanderer, how she reminded him of someone he misses. He remembers Kalos in the spring, his studio apartment in Lumiose, learning an entirely new language, looking like a complete tourist in places like Parfum Palace and the Ambrette Aquarium and not caring one bit. And then Sinnoh, in the summer, its chilly breezes from the north, frolicking in Amity Park, trudging through waist-deep snow, the sweetness of the air outside Hearthome; looking out onto all three lakes and watching the sky over Mount Coronet turn a deep blue at twilight. There's too much, too many stories to tell at once, and Touya smiles gently and shakes his head.

"Maybe later."

 

* * *

 

 

Reshiram refuses to stay in her Pokeball, so she’s currently napping outside in the setting sun, perched on the Aspertia outlook. She can’t fit inside the house, and if she were to lie down anywhere else, she’d block the road. Touya, in contrast, is stretched out on the couch in Kyouhei’s living room, absently watching TV. He can’t seem to keep his eyes entirely open, even through Watchy Watchog’s high-pitched chattering, and the image that appears when he lets his eyelids rest is one of white feathers, green hair; a face soaked with tears.

He sighs in an attempt to keep himself out of his head. He’s almost forgotten how good it feels to _not_ have dirt underneath his fingernails, how fresh the hour or so after a shower always is. Yawning quietly, Touya turns over, watches dusk fall over Aspertia through the skylight.

“Um,” comes a shy voice from behind the couch, and Touya raises his head. Just above him, a very fluffy mess of brown hair can be seen.

“Kyouhei? Agh, sorry, I shouldn’t be sprawled out like this…” He’s a bit embarrassed, grimacing and looking sideways, but Kyouhei just smiles and walks over to the front of the couch, shaking his head.

“It’s okay. I don’t really care, as long as you don’t get dirt on the couch,” Kyouhei assures him. “Though I do kinda want to sit down.”

Wordlessly, Touya sits straight up and moves himself over to the other side of the couch, against the wooden arm. Kyouhei leans back, makes a little noise as he sinks into the sofa. He doesn’t even seem to care about the TV; Touya wonders if he’s just sitting for the sake of sitting with him.

“You okay over there?” he asks, tentative. Kyouhei looks up at nothing, smiles a little.

“Yeah. Um,” he stammers, again. “Do you have a place to sleep?"

“I... don’t actually, now that I think about it.” Touya conveniently omits the part about his being on the move and not always having to live in a house.

“You can spend the night if you wanna.” Kyouhei taps his fingers together. “I’d feel bad if you slept outside when there’s a place right here.”

_So much for that line of thought_ , Touya thinks. “If it’s okay with you.”

“You’re different than I thought you would be,” Kyouhei says, albeit quietly, and then flinches.

“How so?”

“Um, maybe that I thought you would be more energetic, or, talkative or something?” he tries, then looks down and sighs. “I don’t know. Ignore me. I shouldn’t have--"

“No, that makes sense,” Touya says. Kyouhei perks up a bit. “Kind of feels like I’m too chill to be a Hero of Unova, or something. I wasn’t always like this, though.”

“Oh... What happened?"

Kyouhei’s question is very soft, like he’s trying not to wake a butterfly.

“I was searching for someone. It hurts, to be without them. So I got a little more subdued. I learned a lot, though, so I’m less reckless than I used to be. Three years can change a person, you know.”

There’s a silence between them, but within it Touya can see Kyouhei come to an understanding. The boy blinks, then slowly, ever-so-slightly nods his head. His bangs fall over into his eyes. Without the visor from before, it’s a fluffy, heavy mess.

“You should put your hair back. Or, something.”

Kyouhei laughs. “Oh. This? I’m too forgetful to do it regularly. I always lose my headbands or clips or whatever it is. The only thing I never lose is my visor.” He shakes his head rapidly, blowing it out even further, and Touya chuckles. “I don’t even think it’d look good in a ponytail anyway. People might think I’m a girl.”

“Hey, there’s nothing wrong with looking a little girly sometimes.”

Kyouhei flinches. “Not if you’re...” He bites his lip, then looks down at his fingers. Touya frowns, a little worried. “Nevermind.”

“Alright,” Touya says, and decides not to push the issue. Kyouhei looks scared, and for a moment Touya’s mind races, trying to find a way to soothe him. “Do you want to meet Reshiram?”

The awed look on Kyouhei’s face says enough.

 

* * *

 

 

Touya lets Kyouhei trail behind him as he walks up the steps of the Aspertia outlook. Reshiram is curled around herself, her breathing steady and deep, fluttering the feathers on her side with every exhale. Her tail is glowing halfheartedly, the remainders of a fire left in the fireplace after everyone has gone to bed. Touya almost doesn’t want to wake her, but Kyouhei is more important.

“Hey, Reshi.”

His voice is quiet, but prodding. Reshiram snorts softly, tilts her head over.

_What’s that? I’m sleeping._

“I wanted you to meet someone.”

_Is that so?_ Reshiram hums softly, raises her head from on top of her wing. Her eyes blink open, and she huffs, before turning her head and seeing Kyouhei, a little shadow behind Touya, shy and afraid.

“You okay back there?” Touya asks. Kyouhei looks up, hands moving nervously.

“Yeah, just... it’s weird, seeing the legend in person, you know?” He laughs a bit, scratching the back of his neck. “Okay. Deep breaths.”

He steps forward, and comes face to face with Reshiram’s glowing blue eyes. Touya sees him shrink back a bit, but then he reaches his hand out, holds his breath.

_He is a shy one,_ Reshiram comments, and brushes the side of her face against his hand. Kyouhei’s eyes go wide.

“Oh my gosh,” he breathes. “Wait, you’re so soft.” He tries again, and his hand is shaking a little.

_Tell him I accept his compliments. I do make an effort, after all._

Touya snorts out a laugh. Kyouhei turns, insecurity flashing in his eyes.

“No, no, not you. Reshi is being a brat,” Touya assures him. Reshiram makes a gruff noise.

_I am not a brat. You, little one, are a brat._

“You shush,” Touya says, then turns to Kyouhei, who looks significantly less nervous. “She says, and I quote, ‘Tell him I accept his compliments. I do make an effort, after all.’ What a little...”

“You can _talk_ to her?” Kyouhei looks awestruck.

“Since Reshiram chose me as the Hero, I guess we can read each other’s minds. Telepathy or something. She looks like a majestic dragon, but really she’s a stuck-up smart aleck.”

_I will not hesitate to personally drop you off this outlook, little hero._

“What did she just say?”

Touya rolls his eyes. “She’s giving me empty threats. Here, I’ll stop messing with Reshi so you can spend some more time with her.”

“Okay,” Kyouhei says, and then turns back to Reshiram. “Are you really a brat?”

_No._ Reshiram snorts, and Touya doesn’t even find the need to translate it.

“I’ll take that as a no, then,” Kyouhei laughs, and places his hand between the tufts over Reshiram’s ears. “You _are_ soft! And warm. Do you let Touya sleep on you?”

_I do, albeit reluctantly._ Touya hears her loud and clear, but to Kyouhei, she just nods.

“Wow, lucky.” Kyouhei’s voice is breathy with wonder. “So you’re the one who seeks the truth.”

_Touya is_ , Reshiram says, and turns her head over to Touya, nodding meaningfully.

“Well, technically, I am. Reshiram sides with the Hero that seeks truth. The one that values it most.” Touya explains, walking back over to Reshiram’s side. “Hey, let’s go back in. Reshi needs sleep, and so do I.”

“Aw,” Kyouhei pouts, but then looks back up at Touya, his face bright. “Okay. Good night, blue eyes white dragon!”

_What did he call me?_ Reshiram bristles, before Touya turns to leave.

“Nothing, I’ll tell you later,” he says, and walks down the steps, his heart full in his chest, Kyouhei loyal as a shadow behind him. 

 


End file.
